Daisy Hill suffered their first defeat of the season when they lost 2-0 at Bacup Borough on Saturday in the North West Counties League First Division North.

A goal in the third minute from Alex Mellor got Bacup off to a great start, and leading scorer Toby Wright bagged his fourth goal of the season seven minutes into the second half to put his side in control.

Daisy did enjoy spells of possession and created some chances, but manager Lee Hill was disappointed afterwards with the overall performance.

“I felt we were outfought, didn’t really turn up and looked lethargic and disjointed,” said Hill.

“We were missing a couple of players and that didn’t help, you always take a bit of time to get into some rhythm when you have new personnel coming in.

“But the lads who came in are good enough to do that, it’s why they are in the squad.

“We’ve had a good start to the season and maybe some players believed too much in the hype around that, on the back of the last two performances. But we’ve been humbled a bit and had a bit of a rude awakening.

“Bacup probably edged it overall and did enough to win the game, but I felt we were always in it.

“I said to the lads at half time that in the second half, if we played like we did in the opening two games against Holker and Maine Road, win the individual battles and put in an eight-out-10 performance, we could get back into it.

“I felt even into the second half after the second goal, if we could get a goal back, we could get something from the game.

“But everything was a bit subdued and a bit sub-standard, and when the lads go home and think about the game, they will probably agree with that.

“They didn’t do the shirt justice and do enough to win the game.”

The afternoon began badly for Daisy when they conceded the opening goal after just three minutes.

Pacy wide man Kyle Siddle was allowed time and space to deliver a cross from the left and a well-placed downward header from Mellor beat the outstretched hand of Daisy keeper Morgan Newns on its way to nestling into the bottom corner of the net.

However, Daisy responded straight from the kick off with Kaiden Barlow rifling a shot just wide.

Two minutes later, Barlow was again in the action, this time with a dipping 20 yarder that was tipped over the bar by Bacup keeper Joshua Brooks.

Bacup always looked a threat on the break, and on the half hour Newns had to make a smart save low to his left to keep out a Toby Wright shot.

But Daisy ended the half on the front foot, and a mazy run by Ryan Lockett finished with a shot that was safely gathered by home keeper Brooks.

However, it was the home side that dealt a crucial blow seven minutes after the restart with a second goal.

Newns initially made a fine blocking save from Alex Mellor in a one on one, to push the ball wide for a corner kick.

But when the kick was swung in, the Daisy defence failed to clear their lines, and the ball popped up nicely for Bacup striker Wright to head home from close range.

At the midway point in the second half, Daisy substitute Callum McHale almost pulled a goal with an audacious lob from 40 yards after spotting Bacup keeper Brooks off his line, but his effort drifted just over the bar.

Shortly afterwards, Newns had to make a smart save from a well struck Connor Morris shot, but Daisy kept going and had a couple of chances late in the game, when first a Declan Baldwin free-kick was saved by Brooks, before Krisel Prifti set up Barlow for a volley that missed the target.

But Bacup saw the game out safely to collect the three points and preserve both their 100-per-cent start to the season, and their place at the top of the table.

Daisy have the chance to quickly bounce back from Saturday’s disappointment when they host Nelson at the Plumb Factory Stadium tonight (7.45pm).